How ISIS ravaged Palmyra's world treasures

Updated 3:46 PM ET, Sat December 10, 2016

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Photos:How ISIS ravaged Palmyra's world treasures

Before: The ruins of the 2,000-year-old Temple of Baalshamin are seen in Palmyra, Syria, in 2007. The ISIS militant group took over the ancient city last year and razed parts of its World Heritage Site. Syrian government forces recaptured the ancient city from the terror group in March 2016. Click through to see the landmarks before and after ISIS' occupation.

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Photos:How ISIS ravaged Palmyra's world treasures

After: A Syrian government soldier walks near what's left of the Temple of Baalshamin on Sunday, March 27. Syrian forces retook the city days before, but damage had already been done by ISIS. UNESCO says it plans to evaluate the extent of Palmyra's damage soon. Many of the structures -- which date from the first and second centuries and marry Greco-Roman techniques with local traditions and Persian influences -- remain in place, bolstering hopes that ISIS didn't completely raze the world heritage site.

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Photos:How ISIS ravaged Palmyra's world treasures

Before: The Arch of Triumph in 2006.

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Photos:How ISIS ravaged Palmyra's world treasures

After: The Arch of Triumph on March 27.

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Photos:How ISIS ravaged Palmyra's world treasures

Before: The Temple of Bel in 2008.

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Photos:How ISIS ravaged Palmyra's world treasures

After: The Temple of Bel on March 27.

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Photos:How ISIS ravaged Palmyra's world treasures

Destroyed statues are seen inside the damaged Palmyra Museum on March 27.

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Photos:How ISIS ravaged Palmyra's world treasures

Many statues in the museum had their faces chipped off -- in keeping with strict Sharia interpretations of the depiction of human forms.

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Photos:How ISIS ravaged Palmyra's world treasures

Before ISIS invaded, authorities took what they could from the museum. But larger items and those fixed to walls had to be left behind.

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Photos:How ISIS ravaged Palmyra's world treasures

Destroyed statues inside the Palmyra Museum.

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Photos:How ISIS ravaged Palmyra's world treasures

The Syrian directorate-general of antiquities and monuments was positive that the condition of artifacts meant that they could be restored and their "historic value" returned, according to a translation of an article on the department's website.

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Photos:How ISIS ravaged Palmyra's world treasures

ISIS took over Palmyra in May.

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Photos:How ISIS ravaged Palmyra's world treasures

By June, ISIS began destroying historical sites.

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Photos:How ISIS ravaged Palmyra's world treasures

Damage inside the Palmyra Museum.

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Photos:How ISIS ravaged Palmyra's world treasures

Palmyra was a caravan oasis when Romans overtook it in the mid-first century. In the centuries that followed, the area "stood at the crossroads of several civilizations" with its art and architecture mixing Greek, Roman and Persian influences, according to UNESCO.

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The ISIS militant group took over the city of Palmyra, Syria, last year and razed some of its ancient ruins. Click through to see the landmarks before and after ISIS' occupation.